Kathmandu, 20 December: The government is currently waiting for donors to plant Chiuri trees in the Chure region. The government, which is planning to plant Chiuri trees in the Chure region for economic improvement by protecting the soil from erosion, is waiting for donors to raise the necessary costs as internal resources are not sufficient.
The President’s Chure-Terai Madhesh Conservation Development Committee, which has been given the main authority for the conservation and management of Chure, has now made a plan to plant various plants to protect Chure and generate income from it. The committee has said that the priority of the plan is to plant chiuri, bamboo, and various types of fruit trees.
But the donor agencies that were proposed with a plan to plant bamboo trees for the conservation and economic improvement of the Chure region have already withdrawn, saying they will not invest. The committee is currently waiting for a new donor agency to plant bamboo. The donor agencies that seemed willing to provide the necessary financial support for planting bamboo in Chure had withdrawn after failing to reach an agreement for a long time.
The donors have withdrawn their proposal after the committee did not receive timely approval from the Ministry of Forests and Environment. According to the committee, the French donor ‘Reforest Action’ was ready to provide a grant of Rs 4.884 billion (US$ 37 million) for bamboo planting. However, the committee informed that it had sent a message stating that it would not provide the grant as it could not get the approval for a long time.
Committee chair Dr Kiran Poudel informed that even though old donors have returned to the Chure region, more lobbying is being done with new donors. According to him, a proposal of $30 million has been made to the Asian Development Bank (ADB) for financial assistance to plant bamboo in Chure. The committee, which has been working hard to plant bamboo in Chure, is still looking for donors to plant chiuri plants in Chure while it has not received any donors.
Committee Chairman Dr. Poudel said that planting Chiuri plants in Chure at a cost of around 5 million will cost around 3 billion. “Although forests are the basis of prosperity, our forests have not been able to be made the basis of economic prosperity so far,” he said. “For economic prosperity, it is necessary to give priority to agroforestry and move forward. Chiuri is a suitable plant for environmental and economic improvement.”
However, Chure conservationists also criticize the search for foreign donors to plant chiuri in Chure. Chure conservation activist Binod Bhatta stressed that since Chure conservation is considered a national pride project, internal resources should be mobilized to plant chiuri and other plants. “Planting chiuri in Chure increases greenery and leads to economic growth. I welcome this plan,” he said, “But I do not support relying on donors to plant chiuri. We should not always rely on donors. We should prepare to mobilize internal resources.”
Bhatta said that if chiuri production can be made industrialized, investment from the private sector will also increase, suggesting that it would be appropriate to attract private investment. He said that chiuri can be planted by increasing the participation of the public and the local level. “We cannot always rely on donors. The government’s internal capacity to spend should be increased. Instead, investment in Chure conservation can be increased by cutting unnecessary development expenses,” he said.
Chiuri flower
Environmental benefits of planting chiuri in Chure
Committee Chairman Dr. Poudel said that the Chure region is very sensitive from the ecological point of view of Nepal and that Chure is in the grip of natural disasters such as rapid deforestation, soil erosion, landslides, floods, and water shortage. “If environmental protection in Chure is not increased, Chure may face even more terrible disasters. Therefore, we must plant trees to implement the slogan ‘Chure soil for Chure’,” he said. “Since the Chure region has ecological and economic importance, it is appropriate to utilize the Chure region for cultivation of Chure.”
According to Chairman Poudel, since the roots of the Chiuri are strong and have a high capacity to hold soil, the risk of soil erosion is low. If Chiuri plants can be planted in the Chure, it can make a great contribution to maintaining environmental balance, conserving water resources and providing economic benefits to the local community. “For this, Chiuri plants will be planted and necessary conservation plans will be taken forward in collaboration between the government, community and stakeholders,” he said.
Chairman Poudel said that donors were sought due to lack of internal financial resources to plant chiuri plants in the Chure region. Stating that there is a lack of funds required for Chure conservation, he also stressed the need to increase the annual budget.
Chiuri seeds
Economic income growth
Dr. Susmita Dhakal, a board member of the committee, said that planting chiuri plants in the hills would not only protect the environment but also help in improving the economic income of the community and increasing employment, making it suitable for producing plants like chiuri.
“It helps increase greenery from the forest to the forest, purify the air in the atmosphere, and help in climate change mitigation and adaptation,” he said. “It protects the habitat of various species of animals, preserves biodiversity, and creates employment and income opportunities for the local community.”
According to Dhakal, it will be easy to improve the living standards of farmers as beekeeping, eating the fruit from the flowers and even making ghee from seeds of the chiuri tree. The chiuri tree serves as food for livestock and other wildlife, which will encourage the conservation of biodiversity.
Soil erosion control
If we can plant chiuri plants in Chure, the increasing soil erosion in the Chure region will be controlled, says geologist Dr. Subodh Dhakal. “Since the Chure is sensitive, there is a risk of soil erosion and the Chure soil being washed away. Keeping the Chure soil in place by plants will help control the erosion that may occur in Chure,” he said. “This will protect water sources and ‘recharge’ water in the ground, thereby reducing the shortage of drinking water and preserving the soil. However, a detailed study is needed to determine which places are suitable for planting chiuri.” According to committee chairman Poudel, spring is considered the best season for planting chiuri. When planting in the Chure region, deep pits should be dug and the plants should be planted, and attention should be paid to its care.
